Is the reason for the distance from the garage to the house the topography? Do you get wind, rain, and snow at your altitude? If so, I'd want the garage closer to the kitchen if possible, because the older we get (we're retired, too), the less we'll probably want (or be able) to lug groceries long distances. Also, I wouldn't want the front door opening directly into the living area in a cold climate. And I don't like having anyone (mailperson, FedEx, UPS, neighbor kids selling stuff, etc.) who comes to the front door seeing everything that's going on in the living area. A defined front hall area would block cold air blasts and provide some privacy. Just some thoughts, which may not apply to you. We just built our house using ICFs to the top of the first floor. We seriously considered radiant heat, but went with geothermal instead. We also put 2" of XPS under the lower level walkout slab to help keep the heat in, and put the wood stove down there in case of emergencies and to provide supplemental heat to the entire house. For more energy efficiency, we went with solar hot water, which I highly recommend since it is cost effective, especially with the govt incentives now (that we didn't get). Anne

Please be aware that if you are having your designer "modify" the Field of Dreams plan without having purchased a license to do so from the Field of Dreams copyright owner, you and your designer could be liable for copyright infringement. The Field of Dreams Farmhouse IS a beautiful design but, legally, there is a world of difference being "inspired" by that plan as you design your own UNIQUE farmhouse and making an infringing copy of that plan. Your design does NOT have to be identical to be considered infringing. Nor is there any hard and fast rule regarding how many changes you must make to a copyrighted plan before the new plan will be considered different enough NOT to be infringing. You can't just say, well, we moved the screened porch and made it bigger so it isn't infringing. The test for infringement basically comes down to: 1) Did the alleged infringer have access to the original work? And 2) Is there "substantial similarity" between the two works? I would urge you to spend some time researching architectural copyright infringment and maybe talking to an attorney about your potential liability before proceeding. Here are a couple of links to get you started: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_in_architecture_in_the_United_States http://www.scribd.com/doc/19578521/Architectural-Copyright-Case

Your floorplan is very similar to ours. It looks like yours is designed for a more formal lifestyle, but other than that, it's the same basic concept. :) We have a much more casual lifestyle (no paid staff, unfortunately) so my responses are based on MY lifestyle. If your lifestyle is different, you take take my comments with a grain of salt. FIRST FLOOR (1) Will you actually dine in the dining room? Who is the cook in your house? Does he/she enjoy carrying hot dishes 28 feet across the house? Even if you have household staff who cook and serve your meals, it's quite the distance. (2) Your pantry is not easily accessible from the kitchen. Will the cook in your house be okay carrying food/appliances 21 feet from the pantry to the island on a regular basis? Will your kids put their cereal boxes back in the pantry, or will they be left out on the counter due to the 42 foot march back/forth to the pantry? (3) Ensure your garage is wide/deep enough for your needs. Our current garage is about the same dimensions as yours and it is a nightmare for two cars, plus garbage/recycling bins and some tools. Once we added the baby stroller into the mix, we pretty much want to throw things every time we navigate our garage. (4) I envy your screened porch. What a delightful space that will be!!! (5) Do you play billiards often enough to justify having a dedicated space for it on your first floor? We don't play billiards, but I would keep this room because it would make a great play room for children! SECOND FLOOR (6) Of the two bathroom options, I prefer the "optional" one. I hate corner bath tubs because they are a pain in the butt to clean. (Again, we don't have paid staff. If we had a maid I would probably have a different opinion.) (7) The master closet door placement makes it difficult to place furniture in the master bedroom. I see only two walls (one for a bed, one for a dresser). If you plan on keeping most of your clothes in the closets, I think this isn't a big deal, just something to think about. (We are minimalists and keep all of our clothes in the closet, so a dresser isn't a priority.) (8) I'm confused about the Bedroom 3 bed and layout. Is that a nook for a dormer window? Is the bed one of those L-shaped bunk beds? (9) I personally wouldn't want a bathroom for every single bedroom in the house, mostly because I hate cleaning toilets. Even if they are not used, I hate cleaning them because my least favorite thing to clean is dusting around the base (which gets dirty whether it is used or not). Again, I don't have a maid...I'm sure having a maid would change my perspective. :) You don't say much about your family make-up, but based on your floorplan, I would assume that your household consists of one man, one woman, 2 teenaged/adult children living at home, and a part-time maid/cook.

The link should work now - I've made it available for viewing without sign in. I hope it works, I'm new using this. Here is a link that might be useful: Our floor plans layout